


The Watcher

by TurningintoR



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Aliens, Combeferre is so done with Courfeyrac, Enjolras is a half alien who fights for human rights, Gender of some characters may change, Grantaire is a guard, Half-Human creatures, Lots of non-binary characters, Modern/Dystopian AU, Multi, Polyamory is evey where, So are Eponine Musichetta Jehan and Cosette, The tags/ratings may change as more is posted, no one is straight, not even Marius, some confusing pronouns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-29 01:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6352612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TurningintoR/pseuds/TurningintoR
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When They came to Earth they offered us medicine, technology and a way to save our planet. In return they wanted a place to live. They came in peace, to bring peace. Humanity had accepted, although some still resisted. When Grantaire's mother died, they took him in and raised him, along with hundreds of other orphans. Now he is a guard, keeping them safe from terror attacks by his own kind. Conflicted over his position, he leaves for a while and ends up win a group of resistance fighters, some of whom are old friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prolouge- part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When They came to Earth they offered us medicine, technology and a way to save our planet. In return They wanted a place to live. They came in peace, to bring peace. Humanity had accepted, although some still resisted. When Grantaire's mother died, They took him in and raised him, along with hundreds of other orphans. Now he is a guard, keeping them safe from terror attacks by his own kind. Conflicted over his position, he leaves for a while and ends up with a group of resistance fighters, some of whom are old friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is now in the process of being beta'd and will be updated when I get the better version. I'm not sure when I will be able to update this, hopefully at least once in every two weeks.

Grantaire could hear the soft puffing hiss of his breath escaping from the mask. The ironwood staff was a comforting weight in his hands. His Kevlar armour- although relatively thick, wasn’t that heavy, but left him feeling a little too hot in the warmth of the palace. Of course, he didn’t show his discomfort - his job didn’t allow him that.

He was standing stock still, ramrod straight , feet set shoulder-width apart, each muscle coiled to spring into action if necessary. Part of his mind was focused on his surroundings - the rest was far away, remembering his homeland (which he had hardly known and which, for all he knew, might not even exist anymore). He cursed inwardly, dragging his thoughts sharply from that dangerous topic - it could only bring him more grief.

He shifted minutely, as a wave of questioning probed his mind over the NeuralNet - the biomainframe to which all the guards were linked. He ignored it, staring ahead at the elaborately carved window frame and balcony opposite him.  
The door between them swung open, two tall beings emerging. They were certainly humanoid in overall shape, but differently proportioned; far taller and leaner. Their skin was of a smoky, bluish hue which meant They burned easily in the rays of Earth’s sun, necessitating UV-filtered windows and the construction of tunnels and bridges between buildings so that They could move in comfort and safety. The taller of the two glanced at him with disconcertingly wide amber eyes, their huge black pupils designed for use in extremely low light.  
This was one of the ones that had seen human brutality too many times before, and was understandably wary at Grantaire's (and the other guard’s) presence; although it was their job to protect Them. They turned hastily away from the human guards and set off down the hallway, the other hurrying to catch up. Grantaire waited a few moments before setting off after Them, the other guard mirroring his movements.  
Their footsteps crunched quietly on the vibrant carpet woven of autumn leaves - as They could not venture outside, They brought the beauty of Terrestrial nature inside; decorating Their buildings with leaves, grasses branches and the like. This often confused humans who rightly pointed out that They could still see everything through the many windows prevalent in all of Their architecture. Their only comment on this matter was that humans would never understand.

At a steady pace, They began to descend the wide wooden staircase that took them down into the entrance hall of the palace. The guards escorted them to the doors; and the wary one of Them disappeared out through them into the night. The other turned away and sighed, exhaustion rolling off Them through the NeuralNet, which the guards politely ignored.  
They turned to Grantaire, “I am tired. Lorcan will escort me to my room - you may go.”   
Grantaire bowed politely to them, backing away with his head still bowed. He didn’t turn around again until he had slipped into a dimly lit hidden corridor that led to the guards' quarters in the bowels of the palace.

He made his way quickly through the winding corridors and twisted staircases until he reached the door to his quarters. Sensing that he was there, the door opened automatically, the floor recognising his weight distribution and foot size, the walls recognising his microbial fingerprint.  
He set his staff down on its rack, then he began removing his knives and other weapons, placing them on the rack as well. He stripped out of his armor, hanging it up. 

Only in his under clothes, he entered his bathroom. Resting on the sink, he started at the black mask that still covered his face. He traced the patterns on the cheeks with one finger. Other than tiny differences in the patterning, each of the guard’s masks were the same. No suggestion of individual features; each nose, each jawline, each face structure was completely the same, the eyes were even covered with a see through membrane-like material. The mouth and joints were also covered so the guards could speak if necessary, although They preferred it if everyone communicated through the NeuralNet. 

Sighing, he removed the mask, carefully setting it down. He stared at the features on his face, that weren’t truly his anymore. Weren’t truly human anymore. He had wanted this. He had strived for this. And yet, even after six long years, he still didn’t really know if he’d made the right decision.


	2. Prolouge- part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grantaire's back story, when They came (and explaining why) and when he goes through the Changing procedures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jehan uses xe/xir pronouns, and at this point in time Eponine, Musichetta and Cosette use she/her pronouns. Cosette is 12, Eponine is 14 and Grantaire, Jehan and Musichetta are 15.

When They had come, Grantaire had only been five years old. He didn’t really remember it, as negotiations had taken several months and a small child didn’t often have an attention span that long. The first time he had seen one was when he was almost six, when his mother had become an ambassador between Them and the Humans.

They said that they’d come to help- they’d been watching humanity from the edge of the solar system for centuries. They hadn’t felt it was a good idea to intervene until recently- They only numbered several million, and by the time they’d reached the solar system around 500 years ago, the human population and brutality far outmatched Them. So They’d waited until the early 21st century to make contact. 

They had promised medicine, technology and a chance to save the planet from pollution, global warming and a strain on resources amongst other things, in exchange for a place to live. Humanity had jumped at the chance- some (most) civilians were fearful of Them, but they had no need to be, as They couldn’t stand violence and wouldn’t even dream of harming an insect- it was thought wasteful. Some still didn’t like their interference, which increased international tensions, with the terror war escalating from many different groups.  
They helped try and mediate between the warring factions, with people like Grantaire’s mother trying to mediate between humans and Them. 

Humanity during those first years after contact was made, was in a state of chaos, with things getting worse before they finally settled down four years later. By then, thousands had been killed, and recompense for the damage they’d initially caused, They took in the hundreds of orphans of those who’d died. Grantaire was among that number- with his mother dying in a terror bombing months before the final peace treaties were signed when Grantaire was eight years old. 

But, truth was, on Their planet, They had lived in almost complete darkness in volcanic caves in the crust of the planet- most never having seen the sun in their lives, and even when they did, it was through thick clouds that constantly filled the sky. That meant that They were extremely vulnerable to Earth’s bright sunlight- having next to no melanin in their skin and burnt extremely quickly. They had little experience of any type of terrain except from flat, barren landscapes (all flora and fauna lived underground), and so were unable to endure Earth’s harsh environments.

So a symbiotic relationship was formed. They taught humans about more advanced technology, medicine, physics etc, and humans provided the food for both species.  
Some humans believed that this deal was unfair and wished for other ways of living together, and some just did not want to live together full stop.  
Humans formed an army to protect their benefactors from their own kind. 

Six Years Earlier

 

Grantaire sat outside, enjoying the spring sunshine, after an entire winter indoors. His face turned towards the sun with his eyes closed, he leaned back, basking in the warmth . Jehan sat next to him, writing poetry in an old, cracked leather bound journal.  
“Do you really think that this is a good idea?” Grantaire asked xir, with his eyes still closed. Jehan paused a moment. “Yes I do. I know that the changing process will hurt, but there are soooo many benefits. We’ll be faster, stronger, tougher, able to use the NeuralNet without having tech strapped to your head.”  
“And-” xe reached out and bopped Grantaire on the nose- “you will be handsome. I will just be more beautiful.”  
“Hey!” Grantaire exclaimed, laughing. Then his face darkened- “people dying during the changing procedures. I don’t feel old enough to decide something like that. I mean if we do do this, then we’ll never be the same again. We’re only 15! I wish they’d let us wait at least another year.” 

“You know why they won’t- the younger you are the more likely you are to survive. Eponine did it last year and she was only 13 remember?”  
“I know. I’m just scared.” Jehan reached out and squeezed his hand.  
“We will both be fine, I promise.” Xe reached over and hugged him. “Let’s enjoy the sunshine while we still can.”

 

*****

Grantaire sat on a hospital bed in his pajamas, Jehan sat on the next bed. Cosette sat on his other side, looking very tiny, she was only twelve, the youngest girls were allowed to be when they went through the changing procedure. She smiled at him as a human nurse fussed around around her, fixing IV tubes in place. He smiled back, the fear showing plainly in his eyes. This might be the last time that he ever saw her. 

A porter came and wheeled her bed away, another approaching his bed. Jehan caught his eye- “It will be fine. I’ll see you in several days.” Grantaire nodded at xir, his fists clenched as his bed started to be moved away. 

He ended up in a room near the operating theater. Another kindly human nurse checked him over one last time. “It’s going to be OK sweetie,” She reassured him, taking his hand as the doctor and anesthetist entered, “I want you to count back from ten for me,” she said smiling. Someone put a mask over his face, and he breathed in the minty smelling gas, fear flashed through him. 1, 2, 3...4...5… The darkness swallowed him, and his awareness slipped away. 

He jolted awake, what felt like seconds later. A strong hand pushed him back down on the bed. He lay there a few moments, before pain washed over him and he whimpered. “Shhh, it’s going to be fine.” Numbness seeped from his arms and he looked around until he saw the nurse, who smiled at him. He opened his mouth to ask her how long he’d been out for, when he realised there was a mask strapped to his face. He tried to reach up and pull it off, but all he managed was a very light, and completely ineffectual bat, which completely missed the mask and connected with his ear. The nurse chuckled slightly,but he didn’t notice, already falling back to sleep. 

It was three more days before he could actually get up, and even then, the doctor refused to let him walk about himself. They said that it would take a while to get used to his new body and should be done in a controlled environment, which he wasn’t up to yet. A porter came to take him to a small common room, where Jehan, and Cosette were also sat in wheelchairs, and Musichetta and Eponine were sat at on a sofa.

“Hey R, you made it!” Musichetta enveloped him in a warm hug. She wasn’t kidding- he’d been told he’d crashed several times during the procedure, and once again several hours after it were over. He felt like he’d been trampled on by a tap dancing elephant. “You look amazing!” She gushed, handing him a mirror.

The face that looked back was most definitely his own but they looked like they’d been airbrushed loads. He still felt fifteen but something about him looked older. His skin was completely blemish, apart from a large scar on his forehead from the attack that killed his mother, but even that had faded to a thin white line. His dark curls now looked purposefully wild rather than the dragged-through-a-hedge-backwards look he had sported before. His eyes were now that clear green- blue of sea glass. His bone structure was more defined. He put the mirror down, his face screwed up. He wasn’t really sure he like it at all. 

Seeing his expression, Cosette reached over and tugged a curl. “If you don’t want to look at yourself, look at me!” He laughed, obeying. She did look rather beautiful- but she was twelve, and he refused to call a little girl beautiful, she was cute and stay so until she was at least fifteen like Musichetta. Her pale skin glowed, her deep mahogany coloured hair glistened and her chocolaty eyes glimmered with mischief. 

“I can’t believe, that you are hogging all the attention Cosette- look at mee Grantaire!” Jehan whined, Eponine snorting so hard she sounded a little like Daddy Pig from Peppa pig, which made everyone laugh. Jehan had probably changed the least. Xe had always had a waifish beauty and the procedure hadn’t needed to change xir very much- only a fading of a few blemishes and a slight richness was added to the already vibrant auburn.

They spent the rest of the day laughing and testing out their new access to the NeuralNet. Grantaire tired first, with Jehan quickly following. It was little Cosette who powered on until after the other two had already nodded off on the sofas. 

The next few weeks were spent training with their new abilities, relishing the speed, agility and stamina increases. Every time he saw his new face in a mirror he flinched slightly, a little whisper of regret flared; Jehan or Cosette would notice and distract him with some little curiosity they had discovered in parts of the Center that they had not previously been allowed into.

Two years later, Grantaire finished his training, and was promoted to a Second Lieutenant, in the Chancellor's Guards (Their leader). At his initiation he was given the mask that all Guards wore. It was matte black and covered his entire face, including his eyes, although he quickly discovered he could breathe through it. He accepted the mask with relief- he didn’t have to see his face in any reflective surface anymore. With the mask he was able to detach from his personal worries and throw himself into his work. He was quickly promoted until the Chancellor requested his services as their personal guard. 

When he was 19, Jehan, Eponine and Musichetta went on Exercise and never came back. Cosette and Grantaire mourned together but got on with their jobs, trying to stick together as much as possible. 

Two weeks after the wary visitor came, the Chancellor decided that he needed to visit the town of Tisbury where one of the largest settlements of Them was. On hearing the news, both Cosette and Grantaire were worried; it had been close to there that Eponine, Jehan and Musichetta disappeared three years ago. Both volunteered to accompany that official party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peppa Pig is a kids TV programme here in the UK and if you want to hear Daddy Pig's snort, wtch the first 15 seconds of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYfxqr8RSh4 .  
> The Changing Procedures are medical procedures that give all the soldiers in the Special Branch of the army abilities that ordinary humans don't have so it's less likely for any lives to be wasted in any encounter (they're similar to officers in our army- although those are definitely human). They have a 75% survival rate, but it is considered worth it as there are so few of Them and millions of humans. It is done between the ages of 12-14 on girls and 13-15 on boys, as it's before they physically mature but they aren't really still classed as children. 
> 
> Going on Exercise is army speak for going on training exercises out in a controlled environment that replicates dangerous territories, which can be done in the local area or done in another country eg the British Army often go to Kenya on Exercise.

**Author's Note:**

> I had the idea for this when I was asked to take one of those creepy white plastic masks home to decorate for Classics and I just had a mental image of someone in a similar mask but black that covered all the face including the eyes and so this fic was born.  
> If you want me to continue this I will but at the moment I'm not sure how far I will get with this as there are some things that I'm not entirely happy with at this point in time.


End file.
